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Oxford Functional Neurosurgery

We use implanted electrical stimulators that act on the nervous system to treat a wide range of conditions including Parkinson's disease and severe chronic pain. Our research focuses on improving these treatments and adapting them to treat new clinical problems.

Brain regions activated by a stimulating electrode in the motor thalamus to treat tremor

We are dedicated to the surgical alleviation of a wide range of conditions including movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and tremor, and neuropathic pain syndromes such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), phantom limb pain, anaesthesia dolorosa and post stroke pain.

Our treatments are based on electrical stimulation of various parts of the nervous system including areas of the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves. We use a surgically implanted system resembling a heart pacemaker to deliver small pulses of electricity to the target area, which relieves symptoms.

We have a broad research portfolio encompassing both clinical studies and laboratory work, focusing on both the treatments we use now and the treatments we are developing for use in the future.

Tipu Aziz was among the first surgeons worldwide to implant stimulators into a deep brain structure called the subthalamic nucleus to treat Parkinson's disease. It relieves the stiffness, slowness of movement, and tremor that patients with Parkinson's suffer from, and this is now the standard surgical procedure in most cases.

Alex Green's research focuses on the effects of deep brain stimulation and other forms of neuromodulation on the autonomic nervous system, the part of the nervous system that controls unconscious and automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, and bladder control.

James FitzGerald works on implanted neural interfaces, including a novel type of interface capable of recording signals from motor axons in severed peripheral nerves after amputation, with the aim of using these signals to control advanced prosthetic limbs.

We collaborate closely with investigators in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences including Binith Cheeran, Chrystalina Antoniades, and Peter Brown.